Update, 7/19/10, 4:20: MP3 downloads and EP art added after the jump.

The project intrigued us for a variety of reasons, the biggest one of which perhaps was that it marked the first recorded collaboration between these two titans of hip-hop in Denver, who each received nods from us last year in our Best of Denver issue as the Best Rapper East of Colorado Boulevard and the Best Rapper West of Colorado Boulevard, respectively.

The features from Mr. Midas, Pries, Fedarro and vocal rips from Trey Songz and Lil Bill on Barcode 2 enhance both Rockie's story telling ability and confidence. On the point of experience alone, Mr. Midas almost walks away with "Nasty," a collar popping, two-stepping track describing the two with euphemism as magnets for the opposite sex.

Tomorrow night at Moe's BBQ, the Gromet, profiled in this week's paper, is hosting a release party for its brand new CD, with Casey James Prestwood and the Burning Angels and Calder's Revolvers. In advance of the show, Backbeat is pleased to present you with an exclusive advance listen of Colorado Captain in its entirety after the jump.

Call us homers if you must, but sometimes we just can't get over how unbelievably badass the music scene is in this town. Sure, like any other place, we have a seemingly endless supply of crappy also rans and probably-never-will-be's, but for every five of those, we have a Solar Bear, an act whose influences are clear and readily apparent, but who does what it does so fucking well, that it really doesn't matter who they're torchbearers of.

More to the point, Solar Bear's CD release show tomorrow night at Moe's marks the release of yet another excellent record (that's two this weekend alone counting Mane Rok's new album, which drops tonight and which we're also currently previewing). Needless to say, it gives us great pleasure to present you with an exclusive advance listen of Solar Bear's new album. We've been looking forward to this record since wearing out the band's previous disc, The Ghost of Anton La Vey, more than a year ago.

This Friday night at Cervantes' Other Side with his ManeLine co-hort Deejay Tense, Mane Rok is set to drop The Ugly Truth, his eagerly anticipated solo debut. Recorded, engineered and mixed by 3 the Hardway's Es Nine over the course of the past six months at his House of Waxx Studios, the album finds Mane in fine form on eleven tracks produced by a who's who of the local hip-hop scene, including Es Nine, Deca, Dyalekt, Yonnas Abraham from The Pirate Signal, Ichiban, Xperiment, 800 the Jewell and Isolated Mind, as well as Maker and Mr. Bostic.

Hear the album in its entirety after the jump, and then pick it up tonight at the CD release show with Julox, Boombox Saints, the Casuals, DJ Gyp Da Hip and Diamond Boiz. (First one-hundred fans will receive a copy of The Ugly Truth, as well as the DJ Green Lantern mixtape featuring "The Vista" by Diamond Boiz, who will also be premiering their video for the song that night).

Don't miss The Pirate Signal's CD release show tomorrow night at the Marquis with The Sunset Curse, F.O.E., Karma and Haven (of Blackhearts), Flowers From Her, DJ Musa & Peter Black.

Forget everything you know about The Pirate Signal. Okay, well, perhaps not everything -- that's probably a little extreme. Maybe just disregard everything you think you know about the act, any preconceptions you might have about what it sounds like, because they're all about to be obliterated and thus rendered obsolete.

Yonnas Abraham and DJ Awhat have effectively reinvented themselves -- or perhaps they've finally discovered a way to channel what's always been inside them. Whatever the case, the paradigm has undeniably been shifted. Behold Version 2.0 of The Pirate Signal, a sleeker, retro glancing yet futuristic, urgent, affecting outfit that's completely unto itself.

Tod Kapke

If you haven't had a chance to read Andy Thomas's excellent piece on Lion Sized in this week's paper, we're pleased as punch to let you that the band is back with a brand new album called Cough Up Your Teeth, which you can hear in its entirety after the jump and then pick up tomorrow night at the hi-dive with Accordion Crimes and Glass Hits.

Man, oh man, is it the goods! While ultimately the act more or less picks up right up where its self-titled EP left off, Teeth sounds, well, sharper and more jagged. "Lion Sized wraps themes of economics, love, sacrifice and death into high-energy mini-epics delivered in rapid succession," reads the act's MySpace page. Sounds about right. Give it a spin for yourself after the jump -- and see footage of the band getting pelted with paint by Tod Kapke and learn some fun facts about the recent financial meltdown our country recently endured.

Earlier this week, we offered up an exclusive advance listen of The Pirate Signal's brand new album, No Weak Heart Shall Prosper, and pointed out the notably significant artistic progression the group had made since its debut more than half a decade ago, Norma(l) Hugh Manchild's American Revolution(s) and its subsequent follow-up, The Name of This Band is the Pirate Signal.

This afternoon, we present another well known and respected Denver act on the verge of releasing its own paradigm shifting record next week. The Chain Gang of 1974, led by Kamtin Mohager, moonlighting 3OH!3 bassst, is slated to release its new album this Tuesday on Mohager's own Golden Gold Records imprint. Listen to White Guts in its entirety after the jump.

Tomorrow will mark the official release of Hunter Dragon's CD, Weight & Measure at the hi-dive, but since we're not too keen on waiting for anything, we decided we'd share our impatience with you. With the help of Bocumast Records, we're offering up the entire album preview. You can check out Hunter Dragon's album in streaming goodness after the jump, and be sure to pick up your copy tomorrow evening.